Mexican Red Rump Tarantula
Red-Rump Tarantulas or Brachypelma vagans are members of the Arthropod phylum, which is the scientific name for animals like insects, spiders and lobsters. They are also members of the Araneae order, which is the scientific name for spiders. Red-Rump Tarantulas are 4 or 5 inches across (including their legs) but some females can get as large as 6 inches. The males are smaller than the females. Sometimes the female spiders eat their boyfriends -- yikes! Red-Rump Tarantula females lay about 300 eggs in a silk cocoon called an "egg sac". She keeps the egg sac in her burrow, protecting it from predators until the eggs hatch. Once they hatch, the spiderlings (baby tarantulas) leave the burrow going out to start life on their own - mom's job is done and she gets her burrow back to herself. When they are young, the spiderlings are brown. Once they are adults the males and females get red hairs on their abdomen (which is why they are called "red-rump" tarantulas). They look quite similar but the males are a little bit brighter red and the females are a bit larger. Red-Rump Tarantulas live solitary lives, mainly in Mexico but also in some parts of Central America. Most spiders spin webs to live on and catch prey but not tarantulas -- they live in burrows that they dig into the ground. Like other spiders, they do spin silk from their abdomen, but they use this silk to line the inside of their burrows not to catch prey. Red-Rump Tarantulas sleep in their burrows during the day and then, at night, come out to hunt. They pounce on their prey and quickly pierce them with venomous fangs like ice-picks. They inject digestive juices into their prey that (quite quickly) turns them into a sort of soup that the spider slurps up. When feeling threatened, the Red-Rump Tarantula rears up, raising its front legs to show off their threatening fangs. If this doesn't scare off an enemy, the next line of defense the tarantula uses is to flick itchy little hairs at the enemy using their legs. These hairs are called "urticating hairs" and grow on the tarantula's abdomen. It's very similar to what a porcupine does with its quills. The urticating hairs have a hook at the end that itches and irritates the skin and possibly eyes of the enemy. Over time, these hairs can even work themselves deeper into soft flesh. It's interesting to note that even something the size of a human can have bad discomfort from a tarantula's urticating hairs. Red-Rump Tarantulas are often kept as pets and there have been cases where people get the hairs in their eyes which can cause extreme pain and requires an immediate visit to an eye-doctor to prevent complications. One of the most fascinating things about red-rump tarantulas is that they live for so long -- a female can live for nearly 20 years. The male's life-span is closer to 5 years (if he doesn't get eaten by one of the females before then). Category:Aracnids Category:Tarantulas Category:Insectivores Category:Predators Category:North American Animals